Un Apostolat en Orient

Abstract

The origin of the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, or U.S.J., dates back to the Seminar of Ghazir founded by the Jesuit Fathers in 1843. The College of Ghazir, established with the intention of training the local Maronite clergy, was transferred to Beirut in 1875. This center for higher studies was named Saint-Joseph University. Pope Leo XIII, in his audience of February 25, 1881, confers the title of pontificalUniversityontheU.S.J.
 The present article deals with the historical context of the U.S.J., the firstgreatFrench-speaking Jesuit institution in the area which, at the time, bore the name of “Syria.” We studied the historical context for the creation of the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, located in a province of the Ottoman Empire coveted by the future mandatory power, France.
 This paper intends to show that after decades of conflict,Catholicsandrepublicansin the empire ultimately buried many of their disagreements by embracing a notion of French civilization that melded both Catholic and republican ideals. Focusing on the much-neglected intersection of politics, religion, and imperialism, it offers a new understanding of both the nature of French culture and politics at the findesiècle, as well as the power of the colonial experience to reshape European‘s most profound beliefs.